It is time
by Riddick's Sita
Summary: Jackson had to disappear and make up for his failure. Lisa acted like nothing ever happened. But we all know that soon it will be time for them to meet...I agree that summaries are not my forte
1. Chapter 1 Watching Lisa

I am a huge Riddick/Jack fan, and there are few film couples that I like as much which also kinda explains why I haven't written anything in over a year...but I was definitely missing it and thank God there is Jackson and Lisa. I guess I like the weird dark couples that can't really be together, yet at the same time, only they can truly complement each other. I'm also going to try to keep Jacksn a bit "crazy" - I don't think he can be a flower-heart candy type of a guy. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this story and I don't make money from this so don't sue me blablabla...or I will sue you for encroaching on my right of freedom of expression...More importantly, I'm looking for some constructive criticism b/c I feel like my writing is a bit out of practice. Enjoy!

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He finished four high profile assassinations within three months. He had to - he had to make up for his failure. Once he was back in his employer's good books, he took some time off to "rest". It's just that Jackson's way of resting involves stalking his obsession. 

The thought of killing her slowly and painfully did motivate him while he recovered in a hidden medical facility, but soon he realized that he did not want to kill her. He wanted her. It was still hard for him to accept the fact that he was completely consumed by her, but he didn't lie to himself. He wanted Leese. For him to possess. And he wanted her to want him back with the same amount of intensity, if not obsession.

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1:52 am 

He admired the power and concentration with which she ran. Her fists were clenched, her feet pounded the treadmill, but her eyes had the look of someone who was trying to outrun the devil. Maybe a bit of herself, maybe a bit of him.

2:46 am

He watched her move around her apartment, putting her books in alphabetical order. She couldn't sleep, not that she used to sleep much before. But ever since the encounter a few months ago, she could barely sleep for more than three hours a night. In fact, he noticed that she was surviving on power naps. She would keep herself busy until she was so tired that she would pass out. Then she would get back up and start her whole routine again until the next nap. Jackson wasn't stupid, he knew she was avoiding her dreams. Her nightmares.

6:17 am

Jackson sometimes wished Lisa had a window in her bathroom. He wanted to see her body, but more importantly, he wanted to see if he left any scars on her body like she had on his. Yet a part of him did not want to invade her personal space – the one place he could not watch her. Anyway, he told himself it was only a matter of time before he would meet her. Then he would observe her up close and personal. He would finally know how she transformed herself from a lonely and scared girl at night into an ambitious hotel manager during the day. He would be able to see how she tied her hair into a chic bun, put just the right amount of make-up to accentuate her full lips and her beautiful eyes, and wore the type of business clothes that he wanted to tear off of her. He wanted to understand how she could be both so frightened yet so confident, so scarred yet so alluring.

9:30 am

He could not believe that Leese was using her body to appease a client. He wanted to lock her in a room so that she could be his. Instead, he had to hack through the hotel's security system to watch her through the video feed. Watching her lean over a bit more than usual to reveal some cleavage. Could that be the same Lisa as the one who put congealer on her scar? Or maybe it was the Lisa he always knew existed, especially when they were in the plane's washroom. _Well,_ Jackson noticed with clenched fists, _the young client definitely forgot his complaint by the time she was done charming him._ Jackson definitely wanted to kill him.

* * *

After watching her for over a week, Jackson couldn't control himself. He wanted to kidnap Lisa and take her far away. He wanted to hit her, he wanted to do her, he wanted to be with her. He also wanted to know why Lisa was pretending to be the social butterfly that they both knew she wasn't. 

Almost every evening after work, Lisa would leave the hotel in a subtle but sexy outfit. She would wear tight jeans with lace or silk tops. The first time he saw her after all these months, Jackson was shocked. She was actually dressing up to go out to a bistro, lounge, bar or even a dance club. Lisa would meet up with Cynthia, friends and even an occasional hotel customer. They all seemed to buy her fake smiles that never reached her eyes, but not Jackson. He knew she was tiring herself out and getting her mind off of other things because she never looked like she was actually having a good time. She did not look like the girl in the pictures at her dad's house, or the one he bought a drink for at the airport during their first meeting, or even the person who stabbed a pen into him.

At least he took extra care of the 2 male clients who dared to ask his Lisa out. Jackson didn't kill them because he still had to be careful of the police, but he did make sure that their journey back to the hotel would be very long and painful. Anyways, his Leese would never want a man who cried at the sight of a knife.


	2. Chapter 2 Lisa's Other Side

Thank you so much for the reviews, and pls continue reading and reviewing. This chap is very very short, sorry, but I had to write this chap to explain Lisa's feelings, like the first chap was about JAckson's feelings. These chaps represent their personal dilemmas - they like each other, but they cannot understand why. I had a hard time writing about how confused they feel, so I don't know if I really like these chaps...I would really appreciate constructive criticism to help me. Btw, the story will start properly in the next chap...

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Lisa made one promise after the whole Jackson encounter – she would not let herself go like she did after she was raped. She decided to make her life her own. She was not weak or disgusting as she used to believe. She now knew that she was very strong and capable, and she just had to show it to everyone else. After all, she won the fight against Jackson. But at times, she felt so annoyed because no matter how she tried to change herself, she still had nightmares. They went beyond rape and icy blue eyes. They were about how she enjoyed beating someone and getting beaten back, how she wanted to feel the adrenaline again, how she actually hoped for a fight.

She would never admit it, but Lisa knew that the part of her that wanted to take revenge and kill the man who had raped her was hooked on the power of violence. She didn't understand how she could want to hurt someone and see them bleed. Maybe it was winning the fight with Jackson that opened her soul to her dark side. The same side that helped her win numerous rugby, hockey and lacrosse tournaments. Lisa thought she could never be her old self again after she was raped, but she was now an even better version of her former self.

She was so frightened by her thoughts that she plunged herself in work and physical exercise. She also made sure she expanded her social life beyond dinners with her father. She started going out with Cynthia, some old friends and even 2 hotel clients. For her, being with other people was interesting. She could have good conversations, and pretend to be a flirt. In fact, for the past few weeks, she was learning how to use her body to get things done her way. Something she would have been appalled at before meeting Jackson. But then again, this was who Lisa would have been had she not been raped.

When she went out with Cynthia's cousin and the hotel customers, she was surprised to meet normal men. It was almost fun. But she couldn't even think of trusting them. She had too many bad experiences with men. One who raped her. And one who did God-knows-what to her.

She couldn't understand what she felt for Jackson. It was not hatred and anger as it was for the man who raped her at knifepoint. Lisa was more hurt by his deceit, but almost thankful for waking her up. The real problem was the feelings she had for him – they were a mix of frenzied passion and cool wrath. The hardest part was admitting to herself that she wanted Jackson to come back. She was not stupid; she knew he was alive and that if he would come back, it would not be particularly painless. Hell, she might not even live through another encounter with him, but she enjoyed the fight too much to care. The truth was she only wanted to prove her worth to the one man who knew she was more than what met the eye.


	3. Chapter 3 The Note

For me, this is a quick update so I hope you enjoy it. The first two chaps were written so you could understand how my Jackson and Lisa think. This chap is when the story actually starts. As always, I really appreciate reviews, so pls click the little button at the end and write a few words. All writers know that reviews are the way to our hearts. I hope you like it!

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The Living was a fancy lounge that was very popular with artists and professionals. It was the latest place to be seen at. The bald and tattooed DJ was mixing dance music with live percussion instruments. He was standing in a red velvet booth a few steps above the main floor, next to a set of drums. He was surrounded by modern white sofas. A long glass bar plastered the far right wall, with rows of alcohol bottles decorating the shelves behind the barmaids. Everyone near the bar was in groups of two or three, except for one person. 

Lisa was sitting on a stool with an elbow resting on the bar. Her green eyes were vigilantly watching Cynthia dance with her latest boyfriend whose cheeks were flushed red, but Lisa did not know whether it was from all the body heat on the dance floor or from the comments Dan was seductively whispering in her ear. Cynthia was giggling like a teenager talking to her crush for the first time. Her eyes were alive with excitement as she looked longingly at her new man.

Dan seemed like a nice person, but Lisa did not know how to keep up with him. She never thought she would meet someone who could talk more than Cynthia, but she did tonight. She was lucky to even get a few words in during their conversation at dinner, not that Lisa minded. She liked observing and interacting with carefree people, it helped her feel like a regular person.

Lisa absentmindedly played with her soft wavy hair, and let her fingers trail down her neck and lightly touch the scar. She was surprised to feel it throb to the dance beat. In fact, the music was so loud that she could barely think, but she enjoyed those few moments of tranquility even though her whole body was pulsating to piercing music. Although she felt awkward tagging along with Cynthia and Dan, she almost enjoyed watching their heads bob in the sea of people on the dance floor.

Since she jumpstarted her social life, people-watching had become one of Lisa's favorite past times. She tried to understand what they were thinking or why they were behaving as they did. She was surprised at how good her intuition was about people. She always knew she could read them quite well, but it was like a sport. With concentration and practice, she was becoming really good at reading them. For example, she could tell that Dan was a very old-fashioned gentleman, even though he acted like he owned the world. He would open doors, pay for the girls' meals and drinks, and never sleep over at Cynthia's place – and Lisa knew he was not doing all of this to impress anyone. He really has good intentions and basically wants to find a wife, not a string of girlfriends.

The thought that kept nagging Lisa was that if her feelings about people were virtually always accurate, how did she allow Jackson to get so close to her? She should have figured out that he was evil the second he stood behind her in the long line at the airport before the red eye flight. She should not have been attracted to him. And after everything he did to her, she should definitely not be thinking about him, especially if it does not involve hatred and rage. Instead, a part of Lisa was imagining what it would be like to dance with Jackson. And not the foxtrot, she wanted to have their sweaty bodies rub against each other as he nuzzled her neck.

Lisa quickly knocked back her vodka juice to keep herself from finishing that line of thought. She was annoyed with herself for not being able to let everything go. Even blaring music which prevented her from forming coherent thoughts could not stop her from remembering him. Her body's response to her imagination told her that either she needed to have sex soon or she needed another fight. Little did she consciously realize that she actually wanted to do both and only with Jackson.

Cynthia was suddenly at Lisa's side, pulling her onto the dance floor. Dan was no longer there, he was now at the bar ordering another round of drinks. Lisa watched Cynthia's head nod to the music with a lazy smile. Both her arms were waving in the air as she practically skipped to the electronic drum beats. Lisa wished she could also dance so untroubled like her friend, but she was too conscious of the males staring at her or trying to tug her towards them. Were they really that stupid to not notice the irritation and deep resentment flaring on her face? Why do they think that a girl on a dance floor absolutely wanted a man?

As one hand snaked around her wrist and practically wrenched her arm, Lisa had had enough. She was ready to turn around and punch the person who dared to grab her like an animal, but instead another arm enveloped her waist and pulled her towards a well built-body. She tried screaming but her hair had formed a veil over her face, and no one could hear her over the music. To others, she looked like a drunk woman who was really enjoying the song. Cynthia, thinking that Lisa had finally found herself a dance partner, turned to meet Dan at the bar. Lisa frantically struggled to free herself from the iron grip, but the person only grasped her more tightly. Just as she was about to kick him, she heard him whisper her name. _Leese_.

Shocked, she momentarily paused her effort as the truth hit her, but then she quickly stepped on his foot with her stiletto shoes. Jackson was furious. He definitely did not like the pain, so he dragged her further onto the dance floor until he violently turned her around so that her back hit a wall hard. He grabbed both her arms and pinned her in the dark corner. Not even the flashing lights could reach them here.

Her body, reacting to such closeness, strained against his strength. Jackson just pushed his body even closer to hers. He stared at her face until she stopped moving, then his eyes savored her body. She was wearing a black silk kimono top with a low front that dipped enough to show some cleavage. Her slim legs were outlined with dark pencil-tight jeans. As his gaze traveled back up her body, it dwelled on her scar before looking back into her eyes. He was surprised that she allowed the scar to be seen.

"What do you want?" Lisa muttered with as much as anger she could find, while ignoring the feel of her breasts crushed to his chest.

"You," Jackson answered as he leaned close to her ear. "And I know you want me too." There was no sign of the slight doubt he felt.

Lisa could not even respond to him. The best she could do was try to fake indignation.

"I will steal you, whether you want me to or not." With those words, Jackson slowly let her arms go, but before he knew it, she slapped him. He instantly slammed her back into the wall, while his hand strangled her neck. "I know you enjoy the fight Leese. I woke up the animal in you, but don't think I won't kill you painfully just because I am interested in you. Do you understand me?"

Lisa slowly shook her head as a wicked smile appeared on her face. She knew he wouldn't do anything to her in a public place. He could not afford the risk of being remembered or leaving behind witnesses. She also knew that his bosses would murder him for screwing up again.

Instead of getting mad at her, he also allowed himself to smirk. His Lisa was not a stupid woman. He let go of her throat and while she coughed, he stuffed a paper in her pocket. He disappeared so suddenly that Lisa wondered if she had imagined the whole thing. She glanced around, but there was no sign of him. As she felt a tear run down her cheek, she hurried to the women's restroom gasping for air.

She quickly scrubbed her face and hands, trying to get rid of the tingling sensation of losing so much air or maybe from being so close to him. She went to a stall to get some toilet paper to pat herself dry. As she turned to look in the mirror, she was embarrassed to see a light bruise on her neck where's his hand had been. The only thing that made her feel better was that she hurt him too. In fact, Lisa was going to buy more stilettos tomorrow.

Bit by bit, almost afraid, she reached into her pocket. Frowning, she read the note a few times. Then she finally threw it in the garbage and walked back on to the dance floor as if nothing happened.

The note laid crumbled in the garbage. Its words forever etched in Lisa's mind. _I will give you what you desire because it is what I desire_.


	4. Chapter 4 Detective Richardson

I am so sorry that it has been ages since I've last updated...life and school are in the way of my writing, but isn't later better than never? Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter and I would love to get constructive reviews (they keep me from becoming a total lazyass writer). Enjoy!

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It was almost the long weekend and the beginning of Lisa's first vacation since the airplane incident. After months, Cynthia and her father finally convinced her to extend the long weekend by a few days to get some extra rest. She had three hours left before she would drive to a spa resort for a five-day holiday. She was surprised at the fact that she was actually looking forward to leaving her work and her pretend social life behind. Lisa just hoped that nothing would prevent her from leaving the hotel before rush hour. No guest complaints. No system crash. And no Jackson…or so she tried to convince herself.

While absently playing with the pen set on her mahogany desk, Lisa thought about how she felt like she was being watched ever since her encounter with him nine days ago. Maybe it was just paranoia, but she nevertheless made sure to keep her blinds closed at all times at home. She even made sure to always change in the bathroom without lights on, where she hoped that even Jackson could not observe her. Lisa was just about to consider changing her see-through shower curtains to blue opaque ones when she heard someone knock at her door.

Since she was in her office at the back of reception, only hotel staff could come to her. As she got up to open door, she prayed that there were no problems with the group of guys who were here for a bachelor party. Yet somehow she knew that there was something else going on. She opened the wooden door and was surprised to see Detective Richards. Actually, it was more than just surprise - it was pure shock. Detective Richards was the officer in charge of her rape case and she had not seen him in over two years.

"Hello Lisa," the detective said tentatively. He was a tall and slim man. His toned body made him seem young, but his eyes and hair gave away his seniority. The dark circles and the graying hair showed a man who saw too much violence on a daily basis. Since she reminded him of his younger sister who had also been raped when he was but a teenager, Lisa's case had always bothered him. He never forgave himself for not finding the man that had hurt her, just like he never forgave himself for any unresolved case. After the Keefer incident, he tried to find a link between Lisa's rapist and the man that she called Jackson, but to no avail. But this morning, he found the rapist.

"Hi Detective Richardson," Lisa replied with wide eyes. Her heart was beating fast. She had no idea why he would meet her at the hotel, unless if he had a new clue about the man who raped her. The thought itself made her feel overwhelmed, but she quickly composed herself and invited the detective to take a seat on the chair facing her.

"I'm going to cut the pleasantries and get straight to the point Lisa. I received a letter this morning with no return address and no fingerprints. It said that there was a gift for me at an address on Cider Street, so I went to check the place out. I found a man chained to a pipe in the basement." Richardson stopped speaking for an instant, trying to figure out how to say what he needed to say. "He had pictures of seventeen girls posted on his wall, and you were one of them."

"Did he have a cross and skull tattooed on his chest?" Lisa asked a bit too loudly and a bit too coldly.

"Yeah, he did. It was exactly like the one you had sketched for us. Lisa, I think we have the man who raped you." He watched Lisa release her breath slowly, and saw a glimpse of pure rage. Not that he blamed her, but he saw violence in her eyes. "The thing is that he was in a bad shape when we found him, in a really bad shape."

"What happened?"

"Someone stabbed him seventeen times. Nothing serious enough to kill him, but enough to make him suffer and almost bleed to death. Somebody punished him. The bastard deserves worse, but he begged me to lock him up. He said he was sorry he ever touched Leese and none of his victims have any name close to Leese, except you."

Lisa slowly sat down after seeing the Detective off. She did not understand what he was trying to tell her, or more like she did not want to understand what he was implying. But when she put the fact that someone had almost killed the man that had raped her and that there was only one person who called her Leese, she could not lie to herself.

Lisa thought back to how she was about to tell Detective Richardson about Jackson, but just as she was opening her mouth to explain what had happened to her at the club, she changed her mind. It was as if she needed to protect him. She instead made some sob story about how she had completely cut off from all her friends after being raped, so she highly doubted that anyone would help her, especially after two years. She saw that detective Richardson was listening to her intently, but she also saw that he did not believe her completely.

Lisa closed her eyes and rested the back of her head on the chair. So many questions were flying around in her head. _What was happening? Why did Jackson hurt the man that raped her? Why did he avenge her?_

She exhaled loudly and opened her eyes. A quick glance at her compact mirror showed a lone tear traveling down her cheek. It also showed Lisa's half-smirk.

(a few hours earlier)

Jackson quickly glanced at his rear view mirror before turning left into the underground garage. He parked his black two-door Mercedes in his reserved spot next to his private elevator and went up to the top floor. His apartment was the only one on the floor so he was not worried about anyone seeing his bloodied clothes.

He went to the washroom and started a bath without even looking at himself in the mirror. He stripped out of his brand-name clothes and threw them in his fake fireplace. He never kept clothes that had "seen" violence. No point in having proof lying around the place, even though he doubted this apartment would ever be searched, and even if it did, he would be long gone.

Jackson dimmed the lights, entered the shower and closed his eyes. He thought about how long it had taken him to find the man who had raped Lisa. He did not even realize when finding the rapist became such a priority in his life. He just could not live knowing that there was a man roaming around free - one that had raped Lisa. His Leese. It infuriated him so much that the thought alone made his fists tremble with rage. Fortunately, being an assassin did have its advantages – he was able to find a person who knew a person who knew a person who was a serial rapist. All it took was the right interrogation technique and a bit of persuasion.

When Jackson finally found out his name and address, he could barely control his beast. He wanted to barge in and just strangle the rapist, but he knew better. He could not leave any evidence behind so he had to make a plan, like he always did. He also had to make sure that Lisa realized that this would be a gift for her. A gift to make her realize that he was the only man for her. Thankfully he was able to control his beast or else he would have killed that asshole the second he laid his eyes on him, instead of leaving him to be found by Detective Richardson.

Finished with his shower, Jackson wrapped a towel around his waist and went to the window of his room. He only had a few hours to finish packing and find Lisa. He had to make her belong to him for once and for all. There just was no other option.

Jackson sat in his car with his laptop open in his lap, hacked into the hotel surveillance system. He watched Lisa close the office door as Detective Richardson left and sit in her chair with her eyes closed. For a moment he was worried that she was upset that he found her rapist, but then he saw her smirk. _That's my girl._

He observed her carefully for the next two hours. He watched how she seemed to be livelier, how she walked a bit quicker and how she looked around every few instants. _Expecting to see me Leese?_ Jackson followed her every movement on his screen with the same obsession as he had before the airplane incident, but this time he did not question his feelings, he just allowed them to be. As she packed up her belongings and said bye to the hotel staff, he quickly closed his laptop and put it in his glove compartment. He drove soundlessly to the staff's parking lot and stopped a few cars away from Lisa's vehicle.

_I told you I would steal you._


	5. Chapter 5 Parking Lot

Here's another chapter - enjoy and R&R! Btw, I know how annoying it is when ppl don't update their stories regularly, but I'm trying...sadly grad school, work and travels get in the way, but I will definitely try to have the next chap up soon.

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Lisa heard her heels resonate against the marble floor. For some reason, they seemed to be louder than usual. More confident. Could it have to do with the fact that the man who had raped her was now behind bars? Was she feeling safer? She quickly shook her head, trying to remind herself that a much more dangerous man wanted to steal her. Once she saw the door to the employees' parking lot, she dug her hand into her purse and felt around until her fingers wrapped around her swiss army knife.

Closing the door behind her, Lisa stood still for a few moments. It was much quieter now that her stiletto heels were not making any sounds. She quickly glanced around the lot, but she seemed to be alone. She then lifted her gaze, looked at the dark sky and allowed her fingers to touch her scar. As the clouds moved away to reveal the scarred moon, she realized that she was no longer a victim. And somehow Jackson woke up the beast in her, so she would never be a victim again.

With that thought, Lisa tightened her hold on her knife and walked quickly to her car. With her other hand, she reached for her car keys from her pant's pocket, but quickly turned around when she heard a car driving furiously down the gravel road. Before she even had a chance to unlock her car, three men emerged from a black sedan. The night hid their features, but they all looked similar. They had the same build and they were all wearing suits. She saw that none of them had a gun, or at least none were currently pointed at her, so when the man from the front passenger seat grabbed her roughly, she struck the palm of her hand up his nose. She heard a growl and quickly shoved the man out of her way. Then she took out her knife as she dropped her purse and cut his left arm.

That was when she heard the other two men laugh, just before they took out their knives. She could clearly see the moon's reflection on the blades, especially since they were both the size of a butcher's knife. The man on the left rushed towards her, but Lisa did not allow herself to scream. Just as she dropped to the ground and waited for a blow that never came, she heard a loud grunt. She quickly crawled to the side of her car. When she heard another grunt, she lifted her head and saw Jackson. She was surprised at just how relieved she was. Her burst of confidence from earlier on had definitely died down.

The large man that was coming after her was now squirming on the floor with his own knife jutting out of his chest. The remaining two men had their guns aimed at Jackson's back. Lisa saw the way he was looking at the man on the ground, watching him die with satisfaction, seemingly oblivious about the two guns pointed at him. He slowly lifted his eyes and looked at Lisa with a predatory smirk. Then he turned around and faced the men. The man with the broken nose broke the silence.

"Leave. This doesn't have to concern you."

"But you see, I'm already involved. This girl that you're after is mine."

"The rumors are right. You're losing it Jackson."

"True, but I always thought obsessed men were more dangerous than simple assassins," Jackson said coolly. "Why do you idiots want to lose your lives for her?"

"Don't you know Jackson? There's a hit out on your girlfriend," he replied arrogantly as he rubbed his bloody nose on his sleeve.

"On Leese, that's nice. I can take care of it myself. I think you should get back into your car and drive off before you meet the same fate as your friend," Jackson warned with his fingers pointing towards the dead man.

"I don't think that's possible." With those words, the man quickly nodded. Suddenly, two other men appeared behind Lisa. She wondered where they had come from as they yanked her up by her hair and pushed her towards the middle, right in between Jackson and the two suited men. She saw Jackson take a step towards her, closing in the distance between them.

In these circumstances, Lisa knew that Jackson was not the immediate threat, so she too took a step back towards him. Her right hand reached out to touch him. Jackson quickly took her hand and pulled her close to him. Lisa was surprised when he took another step and put his body slightly ahead of hers.

"I always like a good deal. Two-for-one," said one of the new men. As he snickered with his partners, Jackson slowly let go of Lisa's hand. She felt him, rather than seeing him, put his hand in his pocket. She pressed her right side closer to him so her body could hide whatever he was doing. Before she knew it, Jackson pushed her on the ground and covered her body with his as she heard a loud explosion.

Lisa had hit her head on the ground, but as she looked where the men had been, she was glad that she was standing away from the sedan. Just as her eyes were about to close, Jackson slapped her and said, "There's no time for you to faint, move it." Lisa could not believe he was already on his feet when she could barely keep her eyes open. She lifted her hand and touched the back of her head. Her hair was stuck together in a thick fluid, which she knew was her own blood.

"You've got to be kidding if you think I'm going anywhere with you," Lisa whispered as she looked at the red stain on her fingertips.

"I told you I would steal you, and it looks like it could not have come at a better time." Jackson seemed a bit more cold than usual as he spoke. He was getting ready knock her out when she surprised him by getting up and walking towards the burnt corpses. He saw that she could barely stay up, so he shadowed her. Surprisingly, she did not faint or throw up at the sight of what she assumed were four bodies. The smell of burnt flesh, however, was making her feel sick.

"Why are they after me?" Lisa whispered to no one as she heard sirens.

"Leese, we have to leave," Jackson told her softly, hoping she would come without a fight. He would have loved to be rough with her, but his protective instincts, which he thought were long dead, just flared up. Someone had a hit on his Leese. Someone was going to die a slow and painful death. He flipped open his phone and an associate, who was instructed to wipe the security cameras and hide Lisa'a car.

Lisa turned around to face him and tell him to fuck off, but then she truly looked at him. There was something in his stance and his eyes that told her that maybe she should take a risk. For some reason, she felt better knowing Jackson was on her side, even though she did not know why. She picked up her purse and walked over to his car, hoping that her feelings were right about Jackson. She looked at him carefully once more before sitting in the car.


	6. Chapter 6 The Truth

This is a quick update for me - Enjoy! Before your ead, I should mention that I truly believe that Jackson is more in touch with his feelings than Lisa. What I mean to say is that he would admit that he has feelings for Lisa, whereas Lisa would have an internal fight before she even acknowledges them. I tried to show the difference between their characters in this chapter, but I'm worried that Jackson might be out of character - please review and let me know what you think!!

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Once they were safely outside the city's most populated areas, Jackson allowed himself to take a look at Lisa. She was sitting with her hands holding on to each other tightly, as if for dear life. Her head was turned towards the window so he could only see her side profile. He was surprised that to see that there were no tears running down her cheeks. Instead her clenched jaw and stiff body showed that she was annoyed and angry. He still could not believe that there was a hit on her. On his Leese. The thought alone made him want to slowly torture someone, but instead he gripped the steering wheel harder. _Don't think about it now. Prioritize. We'll need gas soon, then we'll go to a hotel, rest for a few hours and then head to the apartment. Then it will be time to figure our what to do._

He looked back at Lisa and resisted the urge to touch the back of her head when he noticed the sticky substance in it. Jackson knew he could not afford to stop for another hour at least, so while holding the steering wheel with his left hand, he reached behind Lisa's seat to get his first aid kit. He dropped it in her lap, which startled Lisa. He smirked while opening it quickly and getting out some gauze. It was easy for him to do all of this while driving. All it took was a lot of practice and experience. Being involved in the crime world for twelve years provided plenty of both.

Once Jackson pressed the gauze on Lisa's wound to stop the bleeding, she quickly took hold of it and turned her head. She could not have him help her, it was only adding to her confusion. Lisa sighed and closed her eyes to continue her internal dispute. _Why am I in the car with Jackson? He's going to kill me. _Her other side quickly pointed out that she would already be dead if that was his plan. He also would not have bothered saving her from the other killers. The dialogue continued in her head until she finally dozed off. Her last thought was why did Jackson say "this girl that you're after is mine".

Lisa finally woke up when the sound of the car door slamming startled her. She quickly glanced around and remembered that she had almost been killed. _Had it not been for Jackson_, but she chose to ignore that thought. She touched the back of her head tentatively, afraid to touch the wound. Her hair was sticky as she had expected, but she was surprised to feel that her hair was in a braid. The idea of Jackson playing with her hair and braiding it made her heart beat faster. Lisa shook her head. She would not allow herself to think about how he affected her.

She took off her seat belt, opened the door and slowly rose to her feet. She heard some bones crack as she stretched, but it felt good. She then turned around to see Jackson staring at her intently while filling gas in the car. "I'm going to use the restroom," she said softly and went into the gas station. The attendant gave her the keys to an old toilet at the back of the station.

Lisa used the key to unlock the door and entered the dirty restroom. The blue paint was peeling off and the sink had suspicious dark stains. Lisa tried to find some toilet paper, but obviously there was none. She opened the faucet and let the water run. Relieved that the water was not brown or yellow, she washed her face. Looking at the mirror, she saw that she had a few cuts, but nothing serious. She then turned her head and saw the braid. She let her fingers touch it before she took off the elastic to undo the braid. She hastily made a tight bun instead.

_What are you doing Lisa? You can't just stay with Jackson. He's a dangerous criminal, not some bad boy school crush. You have to run away. _

Lisa's darker side tried to convince her that she was in control of the situation, and that the only way she could figure out why a hit was out on her was by staying with him. But Lisa refused to listen to her darker instincts. She was afraid that she would not know where to stop if she did. _I can't start listening to you. You'll make me into someone else – into someone who enjoys the fight._

Lisa decided that there was only one thing left to do. She had to run away. Lisa took a deep breath and opened the door. She peeked outside and only saw darkness. She thought about going into the gas station and ask for help, but she did not want to risk other people's lives. She also did not want to see if Jackson was still at the car because she could not afford the risk of him seeing her. She closed the restroom's door behind her and decided to run towards what looked like an abandoned farmhouse.

Worried that she would change her mind, Lisa started sprinting towards it. She barely made it to a dozen meters before she heard sounds from her right side. Jackson had been waiting behind the gas station, or more like hiding next to the trash container. _How does he know that I'll run? _Lisa wondered as she tried to run in the opposite direction, back towards the gas station, but she was grabbed from behind in an unyielding grip. She lost her balance, but Jackson was holding her so tightly that she did not even fall. He pulled her towards his chest and wrapped his arms around her while his hands held on to her wrists.

"Don't even try to head-butt me or else I will get angry Leese," Jackson whispered threateningly in her ears as Lisa tried to struggle free.

"Just leave me Jackson, or just kill me and get it done with."

"Don't tempt me. I just saved you and this is how you thank me." Lisa stopped struggling when she heard his tone. He seemed to be a bit hurt, if that was even possible. "Don't fight it Leese. I've stopped fighting my feelings a long time ago," Jackson admitted. He was not ready to tell her just how strong his feelings were for her, but he was hoping she felt the same way for him. "From a practical point of view, you know I'm the best chance you have to survive. Seriously, why would someone have a hit out on you?" Jackson asked, changing his tone to a more cold one.

"I guess there's more than one fucked up person in the world," Lisa replied a bit out of breath. She did not know if it was the sprint or Jackson's proximity that made her short of air. She also chose to ignore the fact that he admitted to having feelings for her.

"Don't forget to include yourself. Now will you come with me, or do I have to be a bit more persuasive?" Jackson asked. He would have loved to hold her tightly for longer, but he wanted to find a motel soon. He needed a few hours of sleep and then he wanted to leave early in the morning when there were few cars on the road. It would be so much easier to see if they were being followed during the early hours of the day.

Lisa nodded once and Jackson loosened his grip, but he kept holding on to her. They walked awkwardly together to the restroom, where he finally let her go. Lisa quickly turned around and tried to knee him in the groin, but he was faster. He pushed her roughly to the wall and put his hands on each side of her face.

"Do you have a death wish? Is the idea of being with me so repulsive that you would prefer heading out on your own?" Jackson asked furiously. When Lisa remained quiet, he added, "Normally, I would have loved to fight you, but my priority right now is to save you Lisa."

Lisa noticed that he used her real name, and for some reason, it bothered her that he did not call her Leese. "Why are you helping me?" Lisa asked coarsely, looking at how his hands were pressed hard into the brick walls.

"I don't know. Maybe I am human after all and have feelings or maybe I'm dangerously obsessed with you. Whatever the reason may be, I know that you're my equal." _I wanted to steal you Leese, but most importantly, I just realized that I wanted you to want me as much as I want you,_ Jackson added in his head.

"I don't want to be," Lisa uttered.

"Is that the truth?" Jackson asked coolly. He already said way more than he should have and now he was feeling too vulnerable. He removed his hands from the wall and took a step back.


End file.
